Porcelain Dolls Left on Doorsteps of Girls' Homes: Creepy Mystery Solved by Police

Police have solved the case of the mysterious porcelain dolls that popped up on eight different doorsteps of girls who lived in a California community.Credit: Courtesy of Orange County Sheriff's Department

Creeptastic if you ask Us! The mystery of the porcelain dolls was solved Thursday, July 24, by the Orange County Sheriff's Department, after the, ahem, figure responsible for leaving the look-alike figurines on the doorsteps of eight girls in a California community admitted to the deed.

Families in a quiet San Clemente community started filing reports about the strange case in mid-June, when the dolls—each resembling its recipient—started popping up on doorsteps.

"The dolls were being left at these homes, but everybody thought they were the only one," Sheriff's Department Lt. Jeff Hallock told ABC News. "When the families started communicating and put it together, they became concerned."

The culprit, as it turned out, was "a female adult who lived in the local community and attended church with many of the impacted families," the O.C. Sheriff's Department shared. Police were previously unable to link the case together since not all of the girls attended the same school, nor did all of the families know each other.

Thankfully, the eerie case involved no foul play and investigators concluded that her "motivation was out of goodwill." Added the Sheriff's Department, "She intended it as a kind gesture."

Hallock told the Los Angeles Times on Friday, July 25, that the woman "felt embarrassed at the fear she instilled in the community. She just thought she was being nice." It turned out that the dolls once belonged to her now-grown children and she wanted to give them away.

The resemblance between each doll and girl, though, was no coincidence.

"When she was deciding which dolls to give to which girls, she did make a conscious decision that she thought certain dolls resembled certain girls," Hallock said. "I think everyone was so worked up and concerned that when they found out it was her being kind, most people just breathed a sigh of relief."